Chapter 134 - Ritual - Part 2

Nox stopped right outside the massive barrier, joining the group of warriors that were standing outside. Though the barrier was not visible to those with no magic, there was an invisible wall that prevented people from coming in and out of the village. They could only see a normal-looking village in which the people were walking around happily with a smile on their faces. How ironic.

The witches had made it in such a way so that the passers-by around the village's vicinity would not be suspicious of this location, oblivious to what was actually happening. Though I couldn't see what was inside the barrier, it was obvious that the people were not smiling happily as shown.

A few warriors were seen trying to break the barrier, but all of their attempts were to no avail. Nothing seemed to pass through the barrier, and their strikes would simply bounce back. Knives, swords, guns—every kind of weapon was used, but none of them could break through. There isn't even a speck of a hole. A warrior tried to throw a rock inside, but the rock immediately bounced back when it came into contact with the wall.

There were about five to six warriors, and among them, I found Jack and Andrew who happened to be looking in my direction.. They immediately made their way to us when they realized our arrival, greeting us both before expressing their frustration.

"Alpha! What should we do now?" asked Andrew, frustrated at how he couldn't get in. "There's nothing breaking this damned invisible barrier!" He threw another punch at the barrier, stumbling backward at the impact.

Unlike Andrew, Jack stayed calm and composed—although the frown on his face was palpable. Getting off Nox, Luke helped me down and straightened my coat, a sigh leaving his lips.

"We'll have to rely on Violet for this," he said, taking care of my tangled hair. "She'll get in there alone and break the barrier."

Jack and Andrew stared at Luke as if he just said something funny, not believing his absurd idea. "What are you talking about? Nothing could pass through the barrier, so how could she—" he stopped, finally remembering something he'd forgotten. "She's a witch."

His eyes flickered to mine, revealing a glimmer of hope as well as his concern. Anyone could tell that this was a dangerous and risky plan, but unfortunately, we didn't have any more options but this one. It was our only hope of helping these people.

I glanced at the wall, then proceeded to reach out my hand. To my surprise—and everyone else's—my hand could penetrate through the wall, my palm disappearing into the barrier and leaving the rest outside. Well, it was expected, but still surprising.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, then smiled wryly at the three men. While they needed me to get in there, there was also a sense of unwillingness. It was undeniably dangerous for me to get in there alone, especially with the possibility of a few black witches around and their puppets nearby.

Should they find my presence, even death would not be a surprise. No, wait—according to the note we found back in the church, they needed me for something in their plan. So, if they find me, they'll probably take me to the 'Her' they were referring to rather than killing me right here and now.

I don't know what's worse, though—being killed now or being taken into the den of black witches. I think both will inevitably result in my death. 

"Then… I'll be going now," I said, watching the worry getting more visible in the three men. I gave them a reassuring pat on the shoulders and turned my back towards them, then started to walk towards—

"Wait!" Luke pulled my arm, stopping me from entering the barrier. "You forgot this," he said, handing me the same gun I'd seen in our room—the one loaded with silver bullets. One wrong move and I could either kill a black witch or myself. "You know how to use a gun, right?"

"I learned it from a book."

He nodded at my answer, but still didn't let go of my arm. He only let me go when I wriggled my arm away. He was hesitant, but did it regardless. This time, I turned my back again, going in for real.

I put one of my arms in first, ensuring once again that I could really pass through the barrier and not crash into it. Confident that I could get in, I closed my eyes and finally stepped into—

"Wait!" I felt my arm being pulled again, causing me to return right outside. I was ready to complain, but realized that it must be hard for him to let me go alone. I suppose I only need to brace myself again.

"Why?" I asked.

"I…" his brows drew into a frown, and the heaviest sigh escaped his lips. "Listen," he said as he grabbed my shoulders, his grip strong and firm as if he didn't want to let go of me. "If you find yourself in danger, run. Leave everything behind and run back to me, okay? I'll—no, we'll wait for you right here. So please, stay safe. Your safety is the most important thing to me."

"I know," I smiled at him, then pulled him into a hug. Though I was nervous, I tried to hide it by gently patting him on the back of his head and ȧssuring him that I'd be fine. "I'll be right back."

As I broke off my hug with Luke, I gave Andrew and Jack one last look, seeing Jack nod in response and Andrew with his hands up in the air, curled into a fist as if to say, "You can do it".  I returned the kind gesture.

Turning around, I finally went to start my mission.

…

Going into the village, the air immediately suffocated me, and the pungent scent of black magic was more than overwhelming. A series of coughs left my lips as I breathed in the seemingly intoxicated air, my eyes getting teary. This place was brimming with black magic.

The whole place was a mess. It was as if a hurricane had blown through and turned this village into a jumbled mess. Is this because of last night's blizzard? A few dead animals were seen lying on the ground, their carcasses left for the flies to feast on. Many trees had fallen off their roots, blocking the way—but none seemed to mind the mess here. 

The people—they looked hollow—not exactly like how they were depicted on the other side of the barrier. They appeared to still be in control of their bodies, but it was only a matter of time before they succumbed to the black witches' control. They were walking—dragging their bodies around, looking like they were going to faint any time soon. The children, too, didn't seem normal. They were playing with the dead animals.

I needed to make haste.

I looked around, trying to locate where the magic stones were kept hidden. As the whole place was already contaminated with black magic, it was hard for me to find the magic stones by smelling—even harder knowing that those magic stones were only the size of a palm. I could only rely on my eyes.

Where should I even start looking? Could they have hidden it inside these houses? No, Violet—think about it. If you were those black witches, where would you hide those magic stones to create a barrier that would reach the entire village? It certainly won't be in random places.

If I were one of those black witches, then... I'd probably put the magic stones at opposite ends of the village. If that's the case, I can simply follow the barrier from where it began to where it ended.

Let's see... because the magic barrier started at the gate, I have to return to my starting point and search for the surrounding area.

Following my guess, I drew the hood of my cape up over my face, making sure no one could see me. I tried to walk stealthily, despite the fact that the people were not exactly in the right state of mind to even care about me. As I didn't know where the black witches were, I had to be extra careful in case they were hiding amongst the people. I don't even know how many of them are involved in this. It's possible that Mary had a few accomplices.

I walked through the shadows, making sure not to bump into these half-alive people. Reaching the gate, I looked up and down the gate, searching thoroughly for any sign of magic stones but found nothing. I couldn't find anything on the ground either.

Weird. Did I make a wrong guess?

I glanced at my feet, raising them to find something bulging hidden under the snow. I crouched down and swept the snow away, a glimmer of hope coming at the speed of light.

Please be a magic stone. Please be a magic stone.

To my delight, I discovered a palm-sized stone that resembled a jewel in the color black. I picked it up off the ground and held it up closer to my nose, and I have to say—I've never been this happy to smell the scent of black magic. Finally—a magic stone.

A wide smile immediately sprawled across my face upon finding the magic stone, but it quickly vanished when a question popped into my head.

"How am I supposed to destroy this?"